Moontime Processing
Access the Hidden Psyche through your Monthly Period
‘Moontime’ is a friendly name I often call my period. I also just say, I’m on my period or call it my ‘bleed time’. But I love the term moontime. It’s a reminder to me of my alignment with nature - the waxing and waning of a moon that moves in cycles, and me, as part of this cyclical life.
I find moontime is the best and most natural time for ‘processing’ emotions - doing the deep work of accessing aspects of the psyche and soul that have been slowly brewing away throughout the previous few weeks or from some recent trigger that has brought uncomfortable feelings to the surface.
The bleed washes it all out - UP - and to the brim of our consciousness.
January’s moontime for me was haaaaard. Not because I was physically sick, I wasn’t, but because the lingering deep stuff moving just beneath my conscious awareness, arose like a tidal wave, soaring through my body, my sleep, my dreamtime and my thoughts. The tidal wave washes all the debris that has been floating in the sea of the subconscious, to shore where we can see it. The bones, driftwood, shells and seaweed. And among them, the plastic waste, cans, sanitary products and random human-made items tangled in seagrass. It’s natural for the crap to wash up with the good things of nature.
Our emotions and feelings are obviously not wasteful - they are valuable teachings when they arise - and once we’ve sat with them - we can let them go to the composting heap along with the flow of blood that is leaving us.
Every bleed is different and brings up new and old things that are working us beneath the surface. Some months feel like a gentle lapping of waves on the shore, and other months, well, the tidal wave comes, bringing with it all the sticky thoughts and emotions that, ultimately, help to cleanse and clear us out.
It’s not always comfortable, but I see it as a way to let go of energy in the form of emotions and other people’s ‘stuff’ we may be carrying, that when held for too long in the body, can lead to illness.
CYCLICAL AWARENESS
Developing cyclical awareness can help us to realise that there is a natural time and intelligence in our cycle process for different things. Our periods offer an opportunity to release and compost the old, which is followed by the renewal of spring. That spring renewal feeling might not always arrive if you’ve given yourself no rest or space during your bleed. Without a little time to process the difficult emotions that can sometimes arrive with the onset of moontime, the following spring season may not feel as fresh, because you’re carrying forward the remnants of unprocessed ‘stuff’ that can linger in the psyche, resulting in aches and pains in the physical body.
NAVIGATING MOONTIME PROCESSING
Navigating work and family around these particular intense ‘moontime moments’ can be challenging because we don’t always know which months they will happen. Consider the times in your life when there’s a lot of change going on. That could be relationship issues or separation, financial issues, house move, illness, bereavement or other life situations that can bring stress.
Moontime is often the time when many women feel a lot more sensitive to their environment and people. And if you’re already highly sensitive, your sensitivity to stressful situations, can heighten tenfold.
While heading towards moontime when there’s some chaos in life, you might get a sense of what’s coming during your inner autumn, the pre-menstrual phase. There might be a sharper edge to your expression and an inner intensity which could be an indication that more space will be required for this month’s upcoming bleed. That is if you’re in a clear enough of a headspace to do something about it in advance. Such as clearing the decks of your calendar.
Not every month requires as much space - when life feels lighter - this can be reflected during moontime as a lighter experience. Our periods are amazing stress-sensitive tools giving us feedback about the deeper workings of our lives.
Our menstrual cycles teach us that there is a natural intelligence that exists in our cycle process. And when we move with it, rather than fight it, we can discover hidden treasures about who we are while learning to listen and meet our needs in each changing season.
Notice what rises to the surface in your thoughts, emotions and body during your next moontime - write those things in your journal or your cycle tracker - then ask yourself, What is this moontime showing me about what’s going on in my life right now, what’s beneath the surface?
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
with love for your week,